Health Insurance Benefits for Same-Sex Partners

Editor’s Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on the controversy surrounding health insurance for same-sex marriage partners. You can find part 1 here.

Let’s assume that the Defense of Marriage Act (DMA) eventually gets repealed. States that don’t support gay marriage aren’t allowed to deny that other states do? Would this then open up the forum for the Federal Government to acknowledge same-sex marriages? It seems that for Obama to agree with what this appeals court in California is bringing up, the Defense of Marriage Act would have to be repealed. We’re talking about health benefits for federal employees and their partners — and it seems that same-sex partners of federal employees won’t be seeing health benefits any time soon unless the DMA is axed.

Same-Sex Marriage and Health Insurance

This current scenario brings up an interesting thing to ponder. It is still illegal for same-sex couples to get married except in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and same-sex marriage still is not recognized by the federal government even if you were married in one of those two states. In some states and jurisdictions, however, same-sex couples have rights of a domestic partnership or common law marriage, and this entitles them to share benefits with one another regardless of being legally married.

Now, let’s say there is a hypothetical situation in which a same-sex couple lives in a state in which they have a state recognized marriage, or even just a domestic partnership. If one of them works for a company that allows one partner to share their benefits with another, they can because of the recognized status of their relationship. Now, let’s say that the couple lives in the same state but they work directly for the federal government. Although the couple can share all other benefits because of what state law dictates, they cannot share the federal employee’s insurance through FEHBP.

How Can Same-Sex Partners Obtain Health Coverage?

I can only imagine what a conundrum this is for couples struggling against this kind of system. Hate and inequality in this country still blatantly exists today, and it is very prevalent when you look at what rights are denied to same-sex couples. It might be tempting for an employee of the Federal Government to want to hightail it out of a job in which they were being discriminated against in this way. Unfortunately, times are incredibly shaky, and you won’t find many people out there, gay or straight, quitting their jobs right now, because it isn’t likely that another one is going to come along easily. I hate thinking that people are having to push aside their dignity and what they believe in because it’s too risky to walk away from an employment situation.

In situations like these, where one partner in a relationship can’t share benefits with their loved one, the person without insurance might do well looking into an individual insurance policy. It’s nowhere the ideal situation in which everyone regardless of color, creed or sexual orientation has equal rights to all things, but it is a way to protect yourself when your partner can’t.

The biggest problem with handing over health benefits to same-sex couples is that the majority willingly admit that they are not monogamous. Statistically, homosexual men “find the love of their life” an average, about every 18 months. What a situation to put the health insurance company in! Not only that, but by their mere lifestyle they admittedly run much higher risks than the heterosexual population by their risky behavior. People who smoke, people who are obese, and others who refuse to be more responsible for their own health are often denied benefits or pay dearly for it.

I really am so sick of having every objection against same-sex marriage rhetorically labeled as “hate.” All you have to do is watch a You tube video or a news reel where there is opposition to homosexual behavior, (parade, fake marriage, etc.), and you will see who is INTOLERANT and HATEFUL. I have never attested to an American sub-culture quite as hate-filled as the homosexual. There are those of us who are not looking down on them as less-than-human people; we are against homosexual unions because we uphold the standard of their Creator Who will judge them…to warn them, and to keep public policy as close to Biblical standards is the most loving thing a person can do.

In response to Robin Mercer’s comment: The biggest problem that the LBGT community faces is assholes like you. God created us all in His image, so I’m guessing since He created us in His image, and God doesn’t make mistakes, we’re exactly the way He wants us to be. You can hate the sin or the sinner as much as you want, but when it comes down to it, we all bleed the same color and hope for the same things and have lost the same people in our lives. Maybe not ALL of us, but the majority of us have lose a father, a mother, a grandmother, a grandfather, etc. so for you to sit back and quote something that was written more than 2,000 years ago and over that time, HOPED that it was translated the correct way, is a blatant and outrageous way to try to uphold you own personal values and opinions. True, the Bible is THE BOOK of all books, and I’m in no way disputing your opinion, but to sit here and say that one sexual orientation has a higher risk over another is stupid. Do you even KNOW who started the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 70s and 80s? Heterosexuals got it from fucking monkeys/apes who were infected with it and brought it home with them! And, granted, our community has the attitude of not caring who or what we fuck, but you shouldn’t put the blame for a few on the whole! That’s like blaming every Muslim for 9/11… not every one of them had ties to it or was glad that it happened! So, you should honetly think about what you say before you say it from now on… because people like me are just ITCHING for a chance to go Erin Brockovich on someone’s ass over stupidity!

I Just think this is a crime to deny so many people health insurance. It doesnt even come down to Gay, lesbian, purple, green, yellow, brown, indigo! Its the health insurance people saying were too fat, oh you smoke too much, oh you have pre-existing issues. If we didnt want to get better then why would we be turning to health insurance people to try and help battle the ever growing prices of things? So we can make our lives better to live longer. So maybe some of us who are gay may see the day we can have kids, or maybe even see that the hatred towards EVERYONE just disappear one day. Its 2011 people, the Bible is sadly out dated for our time and people are taking it too far! We just want our rights to be seen as normal people. We have feelings, we have health issues, we have lovers. So please stop the fighting, its seriously 2011! And I’m sorry i dont see myself as a number in these studies, I’m #1 in my life and so is my lover. I know Heterosexual people are the same when they do find there life partner. But you cant sit there and say oh Gay men have a new lover ever 18 months. What about The men who walk out on there Wife with 3 kids and leave them hanging with no insurance and no money, no car, nothing! And we are the ones destroying the world? Keep thinking that. Its people like you Robin Mercer that doesnt see the whole picture.